Critics called the ad “tone-deaf and dystopian”
Earlier this week, Apple released an iPad Pro commercial depicting vintage instruments, games, and creative technologies being smushed to smithereens by a hydraulic press. Today, Apple has apologized, saying the ad “missed the mark.”
Originally intended to promote the new, “thinnest” iPad, the commercial — titled “Crush” — was met with widespread criticism after CEO Tim Cook shared it to Twitter on Tuesday. Many online commentators highlighted the irony of the ad’s destructive and depressingly homogenizing attitude, with Consequence’s own Mary Siroky writing that it felt “tone-deaf and dystopian.”
In a response (given to Ad Age), Apple’s marketing VP Tor Myhren said, “Creativity is in our DNA at Apple, and it’s incredibly important to us to design products that empower creatives all over the world. Our goal is to always celebrate the myriad of ways users express themselves and bring their ideas to life through iPad. We missed the mark with this video, and we’re sorry.”
You can watch the commercial for yourself below.
All this comes at a time of increasing scrutiny on Apple, who is currently the subject of an antitrust lawsuit from the Department of Justice. It also comes as anxieties around AI technologies are high, with artists like Billie Eilish, Greta Van Fleet, Pearl Jam, and more calling for responsible AI practices. Just this week, AI-generated photos of a fictional Katy Perry attending the Met Gala went viral, and even tricked Perry’s own mom.
Meet the new iPad Pro: the thinnest product we’ve ever created, the most advanced display we’ve ever produced, with the incredible power of the M4 chip. Just imagine all the things it’ll be used to create. pic.twitter.com/6PeGXNoKgG
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) May 7, 2024
